Wren at Work

Visit this re-creation of Wren’s St Paul’s working ‘office’ and experience the intensity of the rebuilding of London and the new St Paul’s cathedral after the 1666 fire.

Through the life and works of Christopher Wren and his contemporaries, young and old will be able to explore, study, witness and appreciate in animated fashion:

• The building methods and tools of the age
• Peruse facsimile drawings and documents from The Guildhall’s and other collections
• A case study of how citizen’s lost and regained their properties after the fire
• The daily lives of 17th century diarists and writers (Robert Hooke, John Evelyn, Margaret Cavendish)
• The birth of ‘The Royal Society’ and new scientific enquiry at Gresham College
• The similarities and differences of the working world of ‘The English Baroque Architect’ from our own 21st century perspective.
• Entering this faux 17th century environment - constructed by Chelsea Construction - will add weight and substance to perceptions of our own age through the lens of one man’s achievements.

The artist / cartographer Adam Dant has created a specially commissioned map which describes all these aspects of Christopher Wren’s life and times. This will be displayed alongside illustrations from Architect George Saumerez-Smith and members of the WCCA, a scale model of St Paul’s Dome from students at Kingston University, and stone models from master mason Pierre Bidaud.

The Wren at Work exhibition is part of Wren300, a programme of events to mark the tercentenary anniversary of Sir Christopher Wren's death.

We recommend that you book a free general admission ticket to gain entry to Guildhall Art Gallery.